Invasive surgical procedures are essential for addressing various medical conditions. When possible, minimally invasive procedures, such as laparoscopy, are preferred.
However, known minimally invasive technologies such as laparoscopy are limited in scope and complexity due in part to the need to remove and insert new surgical tools into the body cavity when changing surgical instruments due to the size of access ports. Known robotic systems such as the da Vinci® Surgical System (available from Intuitive Surgical, Inc., located in Sunnyvale, Calif.) are also restricted by the access ports, the necessity for medical professionals to remove and insert new surgical tools into the abdominal cavity, as well as having the additional disadvantages of being very large, very expensive, unavailable in most hospitals, and having limited sensory and mobility capabilities.
There is a need in the art for improved surgical methods, systems, and devices.